Tag Archives: Seattle Mariners

MLB New Year’s resolutions: One 2019 Opening Day goal for every big league team

(From MLB Daily Dish, see the full article HERE.)

A new year brings new dreams for each of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball. Let’s take a look at one resolution each team should stick to for a healthy and happy new year.

Arizona DiamondbacksTrade Zach Greinke. May have to swallow some pride and eat that contract, but the Padres are on the up and the Rockies and Dodgers are not going anywhere. The Diamondbacks have to get back on track quickly, and if the cost is lower, plenty of teams would love Greinke.

Atlanta BravesGet a veteran starter. An ace would make this team frightening, but a solid presence like Sonny Gray — who has certainly had his share of ups and downs — would be grand for these young studs.

Baltimore OriolesScout some international players. They finally hired a leader in Koby Perez. The Orioles farm system is vastly improved, now it’s time to take the next step.

Boston Red SoxBattle back. The 2014 follow up to the Red Sox last title wasn’t so strong, but they did reach the ALDS in both 2008 and 2005. This team is loaded, but the window is small with a not-so-sexy farm system.

Chicago CubsFly the W. After what seemed an eternity of mediocracy, the Cubs have been one of the more consistent teams in the MLB with four-straight 90+ win seasons and that elusive World Series title. See the Red Sox: that window may be closing so may as well make one more run in a suddenly stacked division.

Chicago White SoxDon’t waste this farm system. And you can start by plugging Eloy Jimenezand his super human power into the Opening Day lineup.

Cleveland IndiansTrade Corey Kluber. His value is arguably higher than any other pitcher in baseball on the market, and let’s face it. The Indians can still win the AL Central without him while starting to get better for the future.

Colorado RockiesWin the NL West. The Rockies had one pitcher in Kyle Freeland with a sub-3.00 ERA, and another young gun in German Marquez post a 3.77 ERA. If Jon Gray can finally throw together a full season of greatness instead of small spurts, the Rockies may have their best pitching staff yet.

Detroit TigersLike you’ll see with the Royals below, it’s all about patience. The Tigers have an exciting top 15 for prospects, but they aren’t ready. With the demand for Nick Castellanos seemingly high, move him and make it an exciting top 20 prospect list.

Houston AstrosStop getting better. Come on, guys. You didn’t need Michael Brantley. Let the Athletics at least have a fighting chance.

Kansas City RoyalsBe patient. The Royals are arguably the most improved farm system in baseball and, much like the Braves, it is built on a lot of exciting young arms. It’s not going to be a fun 2019, and 2020 may not be much better, but it’s coming.

Los Angeles AngelsGet Mike Trout to the playoffs. Fifteen career plate appearances in the postseason isn’t fair to him or us. At the very least get him on some billboards on the East Coast.

Los Angeles DodgersWin a World Series (no, that is not a prediction). The only thing stopping the Dodgers from having the most dominant run over the past five years is the American League.

Miami MarlinsTrade J.T. Realmuto already. We’re all getting tired of the rumors and false leads, am I right?

Milwaukee BrewersClone Christian Yelich. Eight times. And if he can pitch, do it a ninth.

Minnesota TwinsSolve the Byron Buxton enigma. Either get it going or move on, we’re tired of waiting.

New York MetsShock the world. Well, they kind of did that with the hire of Brodie Van Wagenen, but the former agent has made some nice moves and has stood firm on holding on to his Big Three. If this team pulls off the turnaround they feel they can, plenty will be surprised.

New York YankeesSpend money. I mean really. Who are these guys?

Oakland A’s: Keep grinding. This was a fun team to root for last season. If that pitching staff comes back healthy, the Athletics could be better.

Philadelphia PhilliesAt least earn a Wild Card spot. This team has spent some money this offseason, and the likes of Andrew McCutchenJean Segura, and now David Robertson surely brought in some veteran moxie for this young squad. With the money they had to spend, the Phillies faithful are expecting some October baseball.

Pittsburgh PiratesIf the Mets don’t step up and shock the world, perhaps the young Pirates can. The outfield is exciting, the infield is fun, and the pitching is solid and likely only getting better if Mitch Keller can become the star most envision.

San Diego PadresCompete. The Padres have plenty of young, shiny pieces in place to be the 2018 Atlanta Braves. Let’s see it.

San Francisco GiantsWell, it’s an odd year, so we know there will be no magic by the bay. Maybe it is time to dangle Madison Bumgarner out there at the All Star break when the Giants are out of contention.

Seattle MarinersMake the playoffs. With all the facelifts this roster has had over the past few seasons in a “win-now” mode, wouldn’t it be great to see them make the Wild Card when they aren’t trying.

St. Louis CardinalsTake back the NL Central. This was Cardinals Country not long ago, and they’ve made some nice moves this offseason. I seem to remember them being pretty good when they had one of the best players at first base some time ago.

Tampa Bay RaysGet a new stadium. And this isn’t on these guys. What the Rays did last year was a fun story, now get them somewhere people will come actually watch.

Texas RangersDon’t be terrible. That’s quite the pitching staff, huh? When you bring in Globe Life Park’s park factors, there could be a lot of homers hit in Arlington in 2019.

Toronto Blue JaysMake Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. the Opening Day third baseman. Or DH. Or first baseman. Just get the guy on the field ASAP.

Washington NationalsWhat every Nationals fan wants. Bryce Harper or not, this team needs to win a playoff series, especially in an ever-improving NL East.

New York Yankees send top prospect Justus Sheffield to Mariners for James Paxton

Welcome to MLB hot stove season. The New York Yankees made a big splash and landed James Paxton. Early reports are Justus Sheffield in the headliner.

We took a look last week right here at Minor League Ball at why the Yankees should pursue Paxton when the rumors began. Just days later it came to fruition, with the Yankees sending their top prospect along the way.

The prized get is lefty Justus Sheffield. This past weekend, Sheffield was one of our LHP prospects we were excited about to make their MLB debut as a starter this season (read more HERE). What did we say?

Trade rumors are swirling around the Yankees and veteran starters, and you can bet that Sheffield’s name is in the mix. That doesn’t mean he will be traded, but doesn’t mean he won’t. Either way, Sheffield should make his debut as a starter in 2019 somewhere at the very least.

Sheffield came to the Yankees in the Andrew Miller deal and pitched a mere 2.2 innings in the big leagues out of the bullpen before heading to his third club. He dealt with some injuries early on in his career, but he has the stuff that makes him one of the top left-handed prospect in the game. He has three plus-pitches, with an electric mid-90s fastball, and while his slider and change are exciting, they are also inconsistent in command, though much improved in 2018.

Erik Swanson is also heading to the Mariners. Swanson was part of the Carlos Beltran deal and never made it to the Bronx, dealing with a few trips to the disabled list in 2018. The 25-year-old, 6’3” righty was once one of the Rangers top prospects, and still has very interesting stuff and back-of-the-rotation potential. He went 3-2 in 13 starts (14 appearances) in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 3.86 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and a 78:14 K: BB ratio in 72.1 innings. Swanson was Rule 5 eligible and was going to have a tough time finding a spot on the Yankees 40-man but has a chance to contribute quickly in Seattle.

Dom Thompson-Williams, the last prospect in the fold, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of South Carolina. The 23-year-old centerfielder split the 2018 season between Charleston and Tampa. His 10 games in Charleston, his second brief stint there, was too easy and he quickly jumped to the Florida State League. There he slashed .290/.356/.517 with 16 doubles and 17 home runs, adding 17 stolen bases. He certainly has some nice tools across the board, but in a crowded Yankees outfield, his chances of becoming more than a fourth outfielder were slim.

The Braves AND Mariners trade Mallex Smith on the same day

Mallex Smith was once the Atlanta Braves prized centerfielder of the future. The speedy centerfielder became expendable with the Gold Glove season of Ender Inciarte and the emergence of Ronald Acuna and Ray-Patrick Didder in the lower minors. The Braves would send him to Seattle for more pitching — as the Braves have become accustomed to doing — only to see Seattle send him to Tampa for pitching and prospects an hour later.

Keep reading for more on Mallex Smith’s wild Wednesday!

Cardinals and Padres lead 5 under the radar outfield prospects for 2017

Wednesday, in continuing our look at potential 2017 impact prospects, we took a look at the big name outfielders ready for their chance in the big leagues. Now, we look at some under-the-radar outfielders who may be ready to make a name for themselves at some point next season.

While Clint Frazier and Jesse Winker may be household names amongst prospect enthusiasts, this next round of guys may not be as well known, whether it be the market in which they play or the level on which they excelled. Still, all of these guys could very well see plenty of playing time in 2017 at the big league level.

Keep reading for more 2017 impact prospects!

FIVE IMPACT SHORTSTOP PROSPECTS FOR 2017

Today we continue to take a look at some of the minors’ biggest and brightest prospects ready to jump out on the national stage next season. Having already looked at five impact first basemen, second basemen and third basemen, we turn our attention to the shortstops.

There are some big shoes to fill. Shortstop has become one of the more exciting young positions in the game with the emergence of Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and even the little we saw of Dansby Swanson this season. Who is the next in line?

Remember, this isn’t a ranking or list of best shortstop prospects. You won’t see Brendan Rodgers because as long as Trevor Story is healthy, the Rockies are pretty set up the middle and can allow Rodgers another season of maturity. You also won’t see Amed Rosario, because even if the veterans at the big league level go down with injury, Gavin Cecchini is likely next in line. Nor will you see the New York Yankees dynamic duo of Gleyber Torres or Jorge Mateo, who are both a little bit away, despite Torres absolutely sizzling in the desert out in the Arizona Fall League. And you won’t see the aforementioned Swanson. Yes, by MLB’s statistical standards, he will still be a “rookie” in 2017, but there is no question that Swanson is the everyday shortstop for the Braves and he already showed his impact in their remarkable 20-10 September run.

Keep reading for the next installment of impact prospects for 2017.

Kyle Lewis’ season may be done, but it was an exciting start

Moving on with our Almost Mock Draft Revisited series, we take a look at the player I felt was going to be the 1-1 in the MLB Draft. Although he wound up slipping 10 slots, getting drafted right outside the top 10, Kyle Lewis put together a college season to remember and was en route to a terrific debut season until injury ended it prematurely.

Continue on for more on our Almost Mock Draft Revisited series.

The Seattle Mariners Alex Jackson’s career off to a slow start

Alex Jackson entered the 2014 draft heralded as the top high school bat in the nation, with some even arguing that he was the best athlete in the draft. Weeks of speculation had Jackson as the overall top pick, so when the Seattle Mariners were able to lock his then 70-grade power and advanced hitting approach at the sixth pick, they thought they had found a steal.

It has been anything but thus far in Jackson’s young career.

Read more about the struggles of the once top pick.

Seattle Mariners Tyler O’Neill showing he isn’t just a power bat

This was going to be a big season for Seattle Mariner outfield prospect Tyler O’Neill. Just 21 years old and coming off a big 2015 season that put him on the prospect map, all eyes were on the right-handed slugger’s Double-A debut. So far, the Mariners must be happy with what they are seeing.

Keep reading for more on one of the Mariners most exciting prospects.

The Resurgence of Robbie: Is Cano back?

Robinson Cano came upon hard times once leaving the New York Yankees. They were not as hard times as another former Yankee — Jesus Montero — who was just released by the Mariners Sunday after being a total bust of a prospect, but they were hard.

The second he left New York, angry fans tabbed him as lazy. They said he wasn’t worth the big contract. They said he wasn’t what a “real” Yankee represented.

Judging by this spring, those tough times may be behind him.

Keep reading for more on Robinson Cano.